Ferre: Mohair Moods for Real Men (Fashion Wire Daily)

Milan - The coolest classical clothes one can see in Milan this season are available from the house of Ferre, where the late designers former assistant produced a spring 2009 mens collection of great poise and craftily inventive fabrication.

Presented Sunday on stationary models in Ferres headquarters on via Pontaccio, the spring looks had a refreshing crispness, in a clever modern updating of the Gianfrancos signature architectural style by his one time right hand man Giovanni Ridotto.

In a good deal of drama this spring, Ferres initial successor Lars Nilsson was relieved of his job before even presenting his collection and replaced by the talented duo of Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, who did a brilliant job reinventing Malo, like Ferre a division of the Italian fashion consortium IT Holding. Known as 6267, after their birth years, Aquilano and Rimondi will be responsible for Ferres womens collection, while Ridotto will oversee the houses mens signature line.

His collection was a brilliant advertisement for Italian fabrics, as the key material was mohair, treated with such novelty to create great lightweight clothes, yet ones that held their shape impressively.

The clothes had a Thirties feel, but updated with the contemporary slim-line silhouette. However, Ferres DNA was evident throughout, whether in the broad, gangster like lapel, couture quality finish and sense of haute gamme dandy.

Above all, the actual "hand" of the fabrics was stunning; mohair treated in such beguiling way that while the clothes were classical, the mood felt very new. This was certainly not a revolutionary show, nor was it supposed to be, but instead a smart evolution of Gianfrancos oeuvre.

"We twisted, treated and wove the mohair in ways that have not been done before giving it strength yet suppleness. So, in my view though the material is entirely natural its much more high tech than anything done by others in nylon or micro fibers," explained Ridotto, a behind the scenes man modestly enjoying a well-deserved moment of recognition.

He was also careful to stress that, "we did not attempt any stylistic make over, but wanted to respect Signor Ferres legacy and architectural fashion."

Now we can think of dozens of successors who have made that claim in fashion, without genuinely living up to it. Hats off to Ridotto for backing up his words with honest facts.